Employees of the state Department of Human Services
and he union that represents many of them, Local 100 of the SEIU, are unhappy
over a new Reduction in Force (RIF) policy at DHS because the new policy does
not favor seniority in determining which employees are laid off. This has resulted
in the loss of jobs by employees who are over 40 and are likely to have a difficult
time finding new jobs, according to union officials. They want a return to the
old policy and are seeking a meeting ith DHS Director Kurt Knickrehm.

Joe Quinn. a DHS spokesman, said the old policy
required that when a RIF occurred in one division of DHS, an employee with seniority
in that division was virtually guaranteed a job in another division even though
the employee might be unsuited for the other job and couldn't adequately serve
either DHS or its clients. THe new policy provides flexibility of the sort that
private employers enjoy, Quinn said. A recent FIF occurred at DHS after the
dempartment contracted with a private company, TRW, for computer services.